PARALEGAL STUDIES BACHELOR S DEGREE COMPLETION PLAN I. Preface ACCEPTANCE AGREEMENT BETWEEN PEIRCE COLLEGE AND BERGEN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Bergen Community College (Bergen) and Peirce College (Peirce) enter into this Paralegal Studies Bachelor s Degree Completion Plan Acceptance Agreement to facilitate the transfer of Bergen graduates to Peirce College. Under the Paralegal Studies Bachelor s Degree Completion Plan Acceptance Agreement, Bergen graduates will be guaranteed admissions into the Bachelor of Science Degree in Paralegal Studies program with third year (junior) status at Peirce College on the condition that they: graduate from Bergen with an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5; and satisfy all other Peirce transfer requirements. A full-time student admitted with third year (junior) status to Peirce should be able to complete a bachelor s degree at Peirce within four regular semesters, provided that the student and completes and appropriately sequences their remaining coursework at Peirce. This Acceptance Agreement specifies the requirements and conditions for students at (name of community college) to be automatically accepted into Peirce. It recognizes that the Paralegal Studies program at Bergen is ABA approved. In addition, Peirce College agrees to accept the general education embedded in the Bergen A.A.S. degree. This Paralegal Studies Bachelor s Degree Completion Plan Acceptance Agreement between Bergen and Peirce College becomes effective on the date of its signing. To facilitate the transfer of Bergen graduates to Peirce College accordance with the foregoing guarantee, the parties agree to the following: II. Requirements for Automatic Acceptance A. Students must have a grade point average of 2.5 or above during their final year at Bergen, and must maintain this average through graduation. B. Students must have an associate degree from an ABA approved Paralegal Studies program.
C. Students must submit a completed application for admission. The Peirce application fee will be waived. D. Students must submit an official transcript. Unofficial transcripts issued to the student are not acceptable. E. All courses for which a grade of A, B, or C was earned will be transferred to Peirce. III. Scholarships Peirce will offer each Bergen graduate applying for admission to Peirce a Paralegal Studies Bachelor s Degree Completion Plan Scholarship for each year enrolled up to a maximum of four years. This scholarship will be renewed each year during which a Bergen graduate is enrolled at Peirce, completes Peirce courses, and maintains a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, while at Peirce. Actual awards are based on the following guidelines: The scholarship award is determined by full-time or part-time status. The scholarship will be applied as a credit to each student s tuition. The award amount is based upon the student s final Bergen GPA. Students who enroll full-time at Peirce College (12 or more credits a semester), and whose final Bergen GPA is 3.0 3.19, will receive a minimum of $1,500 scholarship. Students who enroll full-time, and whose final Bergen GPA is 3.2-3.49, will receive a minimum of $2,000 scholarship. Students who enroll full-time, and whose final Bergen GPA is 3.5-4.0, will receive a minimum of $3,000 scholarship. Students who enroll part-time at Peirce College (6 to 11 credits per semester), will receive one-half of the full-time awards, using the same GPA levels. All Paralegal Studies Bachelor s Degree Completion Plan Scholarships may be renewed each year, up to a maximum of four years, contingent upon the students maintaining a 3.0 GPA at Peirce College. Students may also be eligible for need-based financial aid and other types of financial aid. To ensure receipt of Paralegal Studies Bachelor s Degree Completion Plan Scholarships, these students will be provided with Peirce financial aid information and receive full consideration for Peirce financial aid, in addition to the scholarships listed above, upon matriculation at Peirce. Obligations of Bergen Community College: 2
Publicize this Agreement to prospective and current (name of community college) students in its promotional literature, and make arrangements for Peirce recruiters and advisors to visit the Bergen campus in order to provide information about Peirce to interested students. Joint Obligations: 1. Consult with each other through appropriate channels prior to implementing major changes in policy or curricula that directly affect students transferring under the terms of this Agreement, and keep each other informed of any other changes of policy or curricula that affect those students. Both Peirce College and Bergen Community College will review this Agreement annually and make any changes upon mutual agreement, as needed. Such changes will become effective when both Bergen and Peirce sign the revised document. 2. Collaborate in providing students with information and academic advising about this agreement, Peirce academic requirements, and the process of transferring to Peirce. Bergen and Peirce jointly agree to develop and implement advertising and promotional efforts to communicate the benefits of the Paralegal Studies Bachelor s Degree Completion Plan Acceptance Agreement. 3. Each institution will designate a representative or representatives who will coordinate the Paralegal Studies Bachelor s Degree Completion Plan Acceptance Agreement between the two institutions. 4. Exchange data and documents annually that will contribute to the maintenance and improvement of this Agreement, enhance the transfer process, and promote effective cooperation between institutions. These will consist of data about individual transfer students, including admissions information and grades, retention information, and reports on the results of program reviews, assessments of student learning, and decisions of curricular and other committees. The institution(s) will exchange data only after obtaining appropriate and necessary permission from the students. 5. Facilitate and support consultation and collaboration between their faculties related to this agreement, general education, degree requirements, and other academic matters. 6. To provide direct links between Peirce College and (name of community college) websites. I can t guarantee that this will happen; if the Paralegal Studies department has their own webpage, perhaps they can include a link. How about adding: if possible at the end of the sentence? Revision, Renewal and Termination of this Agreement The Peirce Admissions Office and the appropriate offices at Bergen are responsible for identifying, and communicating to each other, changes in the policies or requirements of their respective institutions that affect this Agreement. 3
This Paralegal Studies Bachelor s Degree Completion Plan Acceptance Agreement becomes effective on the date of its signing. It will be reviewed annually by the appropriate parties at each institution, and will be renewed automatically until superseded by a new Agreement or formally terminated. Either institution may terminate this Agreement at any time by written notice at least one year in advance of the effective date of termination. Should this Agreement be terminated, it is understood that the termination will not apply to students already accepted to Peirce College under the terms of this Agreement. The willingness of both institutions to enter this Agreement in order to facilitate the transfer of students from (name of community college) into Peirce College, and to expand their opportunities for academic success there, is indicated by the following signatures. The undersigned representatives of the parties, Bergen Community College and Peirce College, have executed this Agreement on the dates indicated: Bergen Community College: _ Peirce College: Executive Vice President & COO Vice President, Academic Advancement & CAO 4
Dean, Enrollment Management 5